Warrior of Light
by ValorStrike
Summary: In a universe like this, even relatively simple changes can result in drastic divergences. Instead of landing in the woods near a kind old man, the one we know as Son Goku instead lands near an abbey that is occupied by isolated Knight Templars. As he comes of age, certain occurrences conducted by both familiar and original foes will bring him ever closer to the path of a warrior.


_Edit, 12 October 2014: Hi! Sorry for not updating this sooner; a lot of work has just flew my way these past few months. Anyways, the first chapter of the story has been mostly rewritten, and has been beta read by XXReachforthesunXX and Kakarot Son. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

**Warrior of Light**

**Chapter 1 – Prologue**

_Planet Vegeta, Age 737._

A solitary female figure stood on a rocky incline in a deserted wasteland, shielding her eyes from the bright red sun that the planet was currently orbiting around. She stared out toward the reddish sky of the planet's atmosphere, tuning her eyes towards the sky as best as she could.

While what she was able to eventually make out would have been of no concern to the vast majority of the population of this planet, the woman knew better. For what she saw was a strange, almost fruit-shaped spaceship approaching at a cruising speed towards the outer atmosphere. Due to some... _unexpected_ occurrences that had occurred during the past few days, she knew exactly what the ship was doing here, and what the occupants of said ship were planning to accomplish.

This ship belonged to Frieza, the self-proclaimed ruler of the North Galaxy, and he had arrived to destroy the planet known as Vegeta, home to the Saiyan race.

Gine still could not completely understand why Frieza had set out to perform such an unspeakable and traitorous act against her race. They were, after all, quite the influential figures in the Planet Trade. While their numbers were by no means the largest, they excelled in battle and as such experienced high success rates.

Their ruthlessness made them an almost perfect match for Lord Frieza's army and for many years, the Saiyans had prospered under Frieza's reign. It was no secret that many of the Saiyans had mixed feelings about the partnership but they had, nonetheless, helped him overcome innumerable conflicts. So how was it that he had decided to turn his back on them?

In fact, if it wasn't for one certain Saiyan, Gine knew that she would be a part of the oblivious masses in Planet Vegeta's capital – sitting ducks, so to speak. That Saiyan was known as none other than Bardock, the strongest of their third-class community and the leader of the team with the highest mission success rate on the entire planet, only overshadowed by the King's elite. Not half-bad for a "third-class dog".

Bardock and Gine were polar opposites. Bardock was the strongest third-class Saiyan to have perhaps ever lived - there were many rumors that his battle power was high enough to rival the King himself. Gine, on the other hand, was a genetic anomaly of a Saiyan who detested fighting and was born with an extraordinarily low battle power – somewhere in the low hundreds by the time she reached adulthood, which was even lower than the battle power of some third-class children. As such, she had chosen to quit fighting and take up a job in the Saiyan meat industry – _somebody_ had to balance the supply and demand for a race as dependent on food as the Saiyans were, after all. Many Saiyans, even those of higher classes, had initially been shocked to discover that a person as influential – class aside – as Bardock had chosen such a pitifully weak Saiyan as his mate but with time that had faded.

Gine's last conversation with the man before he flew off to meet his adversary in the sky replayed in her head constantly. Oh, she had tried to talk some sense into him, how he couldn't possibly expect to just fly in and expect to fight a freak of nature that could easily overpower the royal family, and how he was in no condition to fight himself due to a sneak attack from Dodoria earlier on in the day, but her pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

He even had the gall to reference her abysmal power level. She hated looking back to that – it had made her life hell during her formative years. In hindsight though, she really shouldn't have expected anything less from him. Bardock was absolutely no different from all of the countless other Saiyan males she had come across in her lifetime: they were arrogant, unwilling to back down from a fight, and prideful to the highest magnitude. Pride was their energy, their source of power, and Bardock just couldn't let her take that away from him.

She still held hope that Bardock was going to remain the victor. She smirked as she saw a single solitary figure plough through a large bundle of soldiers. Probably some of Frieza's flunkies. Good on him.

She could see him getting closer to the ship. His aura had enlarged beyond anything she had ever seen before, and he seemed to be generating a large finishing move. Any moment now... any moment now and the Saiyan race would be victo-

Wait, was the sky getting brighter?

Immediately after that line of thought entered her head, Gine could sense that many Saiyans were coming out of the woodwork to figure out just what was going on.

The orange glow of the sky seemed to intensify as what could only be described as a growing supernova suddenly appeared near the ship. Finally, she could sense that the large bundle of soldiers above the atmosphere were either attempting in vain to run away from the epicentre or scream out to the heavens: whether in agony or in fear she didn't know, and to be honest, she didn't care. She only knew one thing.

Bardock had failed.

In no less than a few minutes, that sun-like attack would reach the planet, destroying all life forms inhabiting it, and reduce it to space dust. By now, the Saiyans had realized exactly what was happening, and chaos had ensued as a result. Some had tried to flee for their lives; others were too transfixed in fear to move a muscle. Gine, on the other hand, was in a near-catatonic state, watching helpless, as the supernova continued to increase in size. A single tear had escaped her cheek, an act of weakness that would, at least in normal circumstances, be considered a criminal offence.

After a short while, she managed to recover her bearings. She quickly realized that running away was futile: her race's actions were almost completely futile. The supernova had reached its maximum size, and had started to accelerate towards the planet's surface.

As the landscape began to get hotter, Gine thought back on her past life; her rough childhood, the angst filled teenage years, her relatively peaceful adulthood, Bardock choosing her as his mate, giving birth to Raditz and Kakarot...

Wait.

Raditz and Kakarot! How could she have forgotten? They were both off-planet at the moment; Raditz had been placed on a mission with the Crown Prince Vegeta and the Saiyan Elite General Nappa, and Kakarot had been sent to a backwater planet called Earth a month prior. Her final thoughts before the planet was engulfed by the supernova were both of joy that that at least some part of their race would escape unharmed, and irony of sorts that two children deemed too weak by her race to survive would do just that while everyone else would perish.

* * *

_Above Planet Vegeta's atmosphere, Age 737._

"HAHAHA! Do you _SEE_ now, Saiyan?! Your power is nothing compared to mine, not even close! Look at those glorious fireworks! Look at them, monkey!"

All Bardock could do was stammer in utter disbelief. He found his voice slowly coming back to him, but not enough of it for him to speak comprehensively; even his vocal chords were betraying him. As much as it would quite literally pain him to admit it, the Frost Demon was right. Everything the Saiyan race had stood for was now gone. Everything, reduced to an asteroid field, condemned to drift around the lifeless vacuum of space for all eternity, left to stand against the test of time. And now that he had seen first-hand the true power of Frieza, his drive to fight had all but evaporated.

This was a fight he would not be winning. And indeed, his breath was already starting to lessen as a result of the former Planet Vegeta's atmosphere spreading to outer space by the second.

Frieza's voice rang out once more. "Still silent, aren't we? That simply won't do!"

The next thing Bardock could feel was white hot pain around his body, as Frieza extended his hand out and unleashed a purple_ ki_ beam aimed at the Saiyan. His flesh started to sear and blacken, his vision had started to darken as a result of his lessened life-force, and the white-hot jets of pain that were currently racking his body were horribly intense. But Bardock didn't care. He didn't want to live any more. The pain almost felt soothing, as a matter of fact.

_'I... I failed you, Planet Vegeta. I failed my people. And with me dead, the Saiyan race will remain as nothing but a fleeting memory. You and your denizens all died without a semblance of honour, without any pride... and it is for that reason that I find no point in remaining on this plane of existence...'_

Suddenly, just as Bardock was about to fall into unconsciousness, he felt a familiar sensation for what seemed to be the last time...

* * *

'_What... what _is _this place?'_

The skies on the planet were coloured an emerald green, its clouds a lighter shade. The grass was a bright, almost unnatural shade of blue, and the brightness from the three suns in the upper planes beat down on the brightly coloured landscape.

'_Yes... I saw this planet in one of my visions... but why am I seeing it again...? Wait... I see two individuals on an island... who are they?'_

Bardock's vision suddenly shifted to a close-up of the two. They appeared to be fighters of a sort, their gazes never leaving their opposition for a second. They seemed cool, calm, and collected, even with the presence of the three suns in the sky. Bardock recognized one of the fighters almost instantly.

'_Fr... Frieza... So, the bastard... still lives... and he seems to have gotten a growth spurt…'_

Indeed, the first fighter Bardock saw was, without a doubt, Frieza. He seemed to be a foot longer, and his skin seemed to be a lot smoother. But Bardock knew it was him. His white and purple colourations, his physique, his... haunting, but strangely effeminate face... they were all truly unforgettable.

But what really piqued Bardock's interest was the second fighter.

'_No... it... it can't be...'_

The second fighter physically resembled Bardock in almost every way of the word, except with no visible scars on him, as well as the fact that his skin colour was a notch lighter than his own. He seemed to have a sword that was mantled on his back, and his black_ gi_ was covered by red weighted shoulder, arm, chest and leg plates, along with red and golden plated boots. His golden aura lightly flowed around his body as he shot a death glance at the effeminate-looking Arcosian.

'_Ka...Kakarot...? My son...?'_

Bardock couldn't believe his eyes. _This_ was the bottom-of-the-barrel low class child that he had coldly disregarded as another failure in his eyes? He seemed so... _confident_ in himself and his abilities, a typical Saiyan trademark, but one not suitable for a warrior of such a low social stature. Although he could still not sense _ki_ energy, Bardock could tell that his son had somehow managed to achieve a _massive _increase in power to be able to seem so intimidating to the figure that caused such fear to his own being. Where did he get it from? Bardock didn't know. He felt not only pride of sorts from the fact that he was seeing his son fully evolved from the confines of his tainted Saiyan heritage to become such a powerful Saiyan warrior in his own right, but regret that he would not be alive to guide him through such an arduous path.

"Heed my words, tyrant, for they may likely be the last thing you ever hear. As a Knight of the Holy Order, I stand for all that is right. I stand for righteousness, peace, and justice throughout the galaxy. And for that I say this. For all the innocent people you have slaughtered in your reign of tyranny, for all the Humans, the Saiyans, and the Namekians you have killed in your own name, I will prevail. I will be the death of you, Frieza!"

Frieza was undeterred. "I see. You honestly believe the words that come out of your mouth, truly?"

Kakarot let out a small grin. "I'm not one to believe, Frieza. I know."

Frieza slowly uncrossed his arms, a similar grin crossing his cold features. "Then by all means, come at me, monkey."

* * *

Upon witnessing this last vision, Bardock slowly started smiling. Frieza was... _wrong_. He was dearly, dearly wrong. There was still one beacon of hope that remained for the Saiyan race. His son... wasn't he assigned to a low-level planet called Earth? Yes, he could see it now – Kakarot survived the destruction of Planet Vegeta, and one day, he was going to become strong enough to prevail against the Frost Demon, avenge the Saiyans and reclaim all of their lost honour. Bardock was now simply upset that he wouldn't be alive to see it. His smile slowly turned into soft laughter, now certain that Frieza's defeat would indeed be by a Saiyan's hand. He was finally ready to die, his mind at peace.

As he felt his life-force falter for the last time, Bardock let out one final shout of defiance.

"**KAKAROT**!"

And with that, Bardock's body gave out on him, succumbing to the effects of Frieza's _ki _beam. A marvelous explosion – not quite up to the level of Planet Vegeta's destruction, but still satisfying none the less - filled the empty space, light spreading out for a few moments before eventually subsiding.

Frieza watched the now empty space with a wide grin of pride on his face. Everything about this day just seemed to get better and better. Not only was the entire Saiyan race completely wiped out the face of the galaxy, but he got to watch the expression of the last one left standing who watched everything he knew and loved get destroyed right in him! Oh, it was simply delightful! What way to celebrate? Maybe he could go to the nearest space outpost and buy the best quality wine in stock. He almost felt compelled to give his workers the week off for all their trouble...

Frieza quickly frowned. _Almost._ He may have been in the best of moods right now in what seemed like a lifetime, but he wasn't insane. Oh, well. Back to business.

* * *

_Sayamir Peaks, Planet Earth, Age 737._

The consistent landscape that was ever present surface of the planet Earth was simply enthralling to look at. Green grass, blue skies, large, silent trees, the tweeting of birds, the chattering of the small animals near the woodlands... everything about this planet seemed so peaceful, especially around the mountains, where the amount of industrialization that humanity had been forced to adapt to in recent times was relatively minimal. This appeared to be lost on most humans, as they happened to live in urbanized areas, filled with top of the line technology. Human settlements in the nature filled areas of the planet were hard to come by.

Indeed, Brother Irako, aged 22, belonged to one of those settlements. As a newly christened Crusader from the Templars of the Holy Order, they were known as the nomadic defenders of the abbey he called his homeland and its people. Irako had on a white gi, with a jet black '光' (light) kanji at the back, covered by weighted light gray arm, leg and chest plates. His sword rested neatly in its mantle, on the back of his uniform. This was a typical Templar uniform inside the abbey. They trained in isolation, away from most human civilization, ensuring that they would be able to hone their bodies to their fullest potential in terms of both physical strength and their spiritual _ki_ energy undisturbed. But what they really focused on was nature. Indeed, many a person's favourite past time in the abbey was to observe as the laws of nature take their courses on several aspects of the outside world. The Templars in particular found nature's fields to be hugely beneficial for meditating.

'_Speaking of which, I feel that I may benefit from a session of mediating right now...'_

Irako decided to find shade on one of the numerous majestic trees that were several hundred feet high, sat down and began to close his eyes. Indeed, meditation was vitally important to denizens of the Holy Order; the Masters believed that by successfully doing so, the individual would have a collected focused mind, which would prove extremely effective in terms of combat, as they were far less likely to act against their judgment in the heat of a moment. However, just as he was about to start, he noticed a faint red tinge in the skies above him. He looked up, and there he saw it.

It seemed to be a giant fireball... currently making its way towards him.

"W-What on Earth?! A giant meteorite headed this way?" Irako shouted out loud, as he scrambled to his feet in a desperate bid to escape what would surely be certain death upon collision with the flaming rock.

In the last possible second, he managed to sidestep the meteorite just in time, saving him from the collision. But he was sent flying by the resulting shock wave, his ears wincing in pain from a deafening sound as the fireball collided with the planet's surface. He managed to crash straight into a giant boulder, shattering it into hundreds of pieces upon impact.

After a short while, Irako slowly got up, his face showing obvious discomfort at the dull pain he was in, but didn't look worse for wear, having no distinquishable injuries. "Hmph. I may have to thank my armor for that."

He quickly opened his eyes, and felt his jaw drop slightly as he saw what was in front of him - what appeared to be a small pod, surrounded by a considerably large crater. The pod seemed to be generating a lot of heat; some animals were injured as a result of the collision, a few even killed, but with a small extension of the man's hands, the surviving animals were stabilized, and their wounds started to heal. He then slowly made his way to the red-hot space pod, outstretching his arms, with _ki_ forming around his two palms.

And with that, a golden bubble of _ki_ energy absorbed Irako's body, which was able to protect him from the intensity of the still molten hot alien craft.

"It's... it's a baby...," he stuttered. He had seen a countless number of abandoned children in his lifetime– even been desensitized from the constant sight of what he seemed to be a mundane part of his everyday life - but none came from such a mysterious origin as this. Where could he have possibly come from? The infant appeared unconscious.

"Well... we can't leave you alone in the woodlands, right? Yes, I'll take you to Grand Master Extern... he'll know what to do with you..."

Just then, the pod began to open, revealing the infant to the outside world for what seemed to be the first time in many weeks. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the landscape. Almost instantly, the boy started to cry.

"Grr... child, stop crying..." Caring for infants was supposed to be the priests' job! Ikaro was a warrior; he had no time to be tending to a mere lost soul!

He quickly refocused his mind to the situation at hand. Now wasn't the time for ramblings. What was important was finding out the strange boy's origins. Speaking of which... it was just now that he had managed to notice a tail hanging out. Ikaro looked at the furry appendage in confusion. '_A... tail? Now this, this is very peculiar indeed... he is definitely not like most people I've seen...'_

Ikaro lightly grabbed the tail, which caused the boy to yell out in pain. In retaliation, he bit on the soldier's recoiled thumb with all of his might.

Ikaro resisted the urge to cry out in pain, having to refrain from cursing due to his teachings. _'This boy's got quite the sharp teeth on him... I'll take him to the templar outpost straight away. Such a strange child, he doesn't even have a name...'_

The soldier then prepared to leave with the boy in his arms, his expression still appearing angry, but silent, almost contemplating. Just then, a message from the pod played out the landscape, the sound reaching her ears.

"Your name is Kakarot. You are a member of the alien warrior monkey race known as the Saiyans. You have been assigned a mission by none other by the illustrious Lord Frieza himself to annihilate all the citizens of planet Ee-arth. The planet is filled with low levels that can easily be incapitated after staring at the planet's full moon. Ee-arth must be disposed of all of its citizens, and you, Kakarot, must leave it to be presented and potentially sold to other alien races that are looking for a new planet to inhabit. This business is referred to as the Planet Trade Organization. Your name is Kakarot. You are a member of the alien warrior monkey race known as the Saiyans. You have been assigned a mission by none other than the illustrious Lord Frieza himself to annihilate..."

Ikaro looked back at the pod in horror. That message... it was almost haunting to hear. The child was still so young – he appeared no more than a two month old... to think that it would be subject to such brainwashing made him uncharacteristically sick to his stomach. This 'Kakarot' boy... if he was left to fall into the wrong hands, he could potentially be the catalyst of the extinction of the human race... the very thought of total annihilation sent a shiver up Ikaro's spine. The petrified man subconsciously held the still pouting child closer to him. The boy still had his whole life ahead of him, and he couldn't just abandon him and let him be subject to such an evil and sinful life. How would he be able to live with himself?

_'Any potential doubt that I had about this boy has now been abandoned... this is just a mere child; there would potentially be far more poor children leading such meaningless lives... he needs to be raised to properly learn right from wrong, before it is too late...'_

And with that, Ikaro picked up the now cooled Saiyan pod, and headed off towards the Holy Order's Templar outpost.

* * *

_Author's Note: And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the first chapter of Warrior of Light! A retread of the first chapter to be more specific, but I hope to have the second chapter up as soon as I can. Thanks for reading!_


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